New Castle voters elect officials, put reins on change to dog rules

NEW CASTLE — The race for a three-year term on the fire ward was decided by only six votes, with longtime Budget Committee member and lobsterman Damon Frampton taking the win..

Crystal A. Weyers

NEW CASTLE — The race for a three-year term on the fire ward was decided by only six votes, with longtime Budget Committee member and lobsterman Damon Frampton taking the win.

Peter Rice came in just behind with 224 votes. It is uncertain yet whether a recount will be requested, as the race was so close.

Dick Spaulding took the win for a three-year term on the Maude H. Trefethen Elementary School Board, receiving 154 more votes than his competition. He received 304 votes to Ryan Russman's 150. Craig Strehl, who announced at Candidate's Night that he was no longer running, received five votes.

Spaulding and his family were elated with the results. “I feel great,” he said. “I'm so appreciative of all the people who helped along the way and came out and actually voted for me.”

Going forward, Spaulding said he has “a lot of responsibility to follow through with.”

“It's exciting, but it's also going to be hard work,” he said.

Rodney Rowland was elected to the one available two-year term on the School Board. He ran uncontested and received 384 votes.

Following the closing of the polls earlier in the evening, more than 100 residents deliberated the remaining warrant articles they hadn't already weighed in on at the polls during Town Meeting.

Most items passed unanimously, but discussion surrounded a change to the town's dog ordinance, included in Article 17. The new wording would have changed fines to be “of not more than $1,000” and introduced the criminal penalty of a misdemeanor for owners found in violation of any provision of the ordinance.

“The ordinances haven't really changed,” said Selectman Patty Cohen. “There's a minor update around some editing of the words, but the actual content hasn't really changed.”

Resident John Bush, who has three dogs, presented the fine schedule the state outlines for dog ordinance violations, which includes higher fines for subsequent offenses rather than “an arbitrary schedule.”

“I think the penalty provided, of up to $1,000, is excessive,” he said.

Additionally, there was question over whether or not the town could create a misdemeanor penalty in conjunction with violations.

“I don't have a dog in this fight, if you will, forgive the pun,” said resident and attorney Ryan Russman, who went on to say that the town could set higher fines than the state, but cannot “elevate something beyond a town ordinance.”

Residents voted 56 to 54 to strike the new language from the dog ordinance and essentially adopt the state's instead.

There was also a presentation surrounding updates needed to the Town Hall.

Town Hall Committee member Rodney Rowland said they hope to complete a historic restoration of its exterior, a historic rehabilitation of its interior “that will allow it to function as well as a modern town hall” and get it up to code. He said work wouldn't begin until 2016 or later and that the project would be bonded.

The total cost of the project is estimated at $1.4 million to $1.55 million. On Tuesday night, the town only sought $15,000 in Article 15 to develop detailed plans and cost estimates to continue to the project's next phase. The amount was unanimously approved.

All articles, during Town Meeting and at the polls, passed.

It was a busy day for election officials, with more than double the usual amount of voters turning out to have their voices counted.

Town Clerk Priscilla Hodgkins said 445 of the town's 916 registered voters turned out to cast ballots. Another 21 sent in absentee ballots.

Other uncontested results include:

Margaret Kennedy for a six-year term as supervisor of the checklist. She ran uncontested to fill a seat vacated by Sherri Becker's term expiration and received 407 votes.

For a three-year term on the Select Board: David McGuckin, 395For a three-year term on the Budget Committee: Damon Frampton, 396For a three-year term as a cemetery trustee: Jim Cerny, 390For a three-year term as a library trustee: Brad Greeley, 400For a two-year term as town moderator: Wayne Semprini, 420For a one-year term as a trustee of the trust funds: Kathy Richards, 352

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